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lights, camera, action!
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Start Up Items
I’m going to go over the main items you’re going to need to build your rig. To produce high quality videos.
Plus a few extra items if you’re wanting to start a business that combines online video marketing skills in your local offline market place.
The thing to remember, is no matter what brand, model or otherwise you end up with, it’s better to stick with these same items to develop consistency, plus the knowledge and experience you’ll gain over time on how to best use them.
Computer
Ok, the first thing you’re going to need is an adequate computer, and what I mean by adequate is a computer with sufficient size and processing speed to work with video.
Working with video means working with big files and there is no way around that if you want to produce anything with quality. Even short length videos of a few minutes means you’ll be working with files a couple of gigs or more, so you must have a computer with enough grunt to speedily process this work.
If you have a computer with say 500 meg of ram, dial up internet connection then you’re going to spend a lot of time WAITING.
I’d suggest having a computer with at least 2 gig of ram, though the bigger the better. The hard drive capacity is not that important for I’d suggest getting an external hard drive, especially if you use a laptop. 500 gig would be a good start. And even with 500 gig you’ll be surprised how quickly it will fill up.
I’d also suggest getting the fastest internet connection speed available as uploading gigs of video takes time, and the slower your connection, the more time it takes and the more time you’ll be wasting, waiting for files to upload.
If you’re working with a desktop computer with heaps of memory then you may not need an external hard drive but if you have a lap top and follow our business in a box examples then an external hard drive will be a good and necessary investment.
Camera
Next is the camera. I have a couple of Victor / JVC Everio hard disk camcorders.
Direct to disk. These cameras have either 20 or 60 gig hard drives.
They also have either 32 or 20 times optical zoom and four quality settings.
Easy to use, and small enough that they can fit into your pocket.
On this camera I have purchased a light filter which helps reduce glare in bright sunlight and is particularly useful when filming water. It also acts as a lens shield protecting the lens and lens cover from dust and moisture. As you can see it just screws straight onto the camera.
The camera is powered by either battery or electricity, here’s the electricity jack here.
Most functions are touch sensor. All in all a great little camera and more than enough for web video.
There are heaps of different brands and models out there so pick what you can afford and like the best.
Audio Interface
In one sense an audio interface is a souped up sound card, and for high quality audio recording I’d suggest purchasing an audio interface. Using one really guarantees you’ll be able to record consistent high quality audio every time.
If you’re planning to record straight onto your computer you’ll probably be disappointed as most computer recording programs don’t really cut it if you want consistently high quality.
There are heaps of different audio interfaces on the market so I recommend buying one based on what your needs are and of course your budget.
This particular audio interface is a 48 track Yamaha audiogram 6 and uses the highly respected Cubase recording software. I purchased this back in early 2009 and have had no problems with it. You be the judge by the quality of this audio you’re listening to now.
It’s USB powered meaning it doesn’t require an external power source.
Headphones in here, mic in here, follow the instructions and you’re ready to record.
On how to use this particular audio interface please see the tutorial on recording audio into your video.
Tripod
To help take quality video a tripod is sometimes needed, especially when you need to use the zoom on your camera. At full or near full zoom it’s nearly impossible to stop camera shake. Or for long stationary shots a tripod is almost a must have item.
Mic
Investing in a good mic is also important in the quest to record good quality audio. Best to get a good mic and stick with it so a level of consistency can be maintained.
Headphones
For recording and editing audio a good set of headphones are needed.
Headphones with an adjustable jack like this means you can use it both in the audio interface with a large socket and a computer which has a small socket.
Paper Cutter
A paper cutter like this is quite useful for cutting flyers which you may want to consider when combing video marketing with your offline market place as referenced with our business in a box ideas.
A pair of scissors or other cutting device is also fine. |
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